Several local children are in need of some Christmas cheer this holiday season. Both the Emerson Centre and the Junior Auxiliary are still seeking individuals to sponsor children for the holidays.

Rick Emerson, founder of the Emerson Centre, said their Christmas Bears program is held each year for the holidays. The program allows each child the Emerson Centre serves to write a Christmas wish on a bear. Then community members pick up a bear and help to meet that need.

“My wife, she’s one of the main cogs,” Emerson said. “The people over in the (Louisiana Tech University) Comptroller’s Office and people at the (Tech) bookstore are big helps.”

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The weather is cooling off, but things are just now starting to heat up at the Ruston Fire Department.

At 10 a.m. Saturday RFD is teaming up with local junior high and high school Future Business Leaders of America clubs and Beta Alpha Psi from Louisiana Tech University to put on the eighth annual Hot Halloween Happening at the RFD headquarters, located at 920 East Georgia Ave. During Hot Halloween Happening, there will be games, candy, a free hot dog lunch and a tour of a firehouse.

More apartments and duplexes could be available in Ruston within the next 18 months because of action taken Monday by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

Commissioners unanimously approved conditional use permits for the construction of six studio apartments to be located at 303 West Georgia Ave. and two duplexes on the northwest corner of Dubach Avenue at Tech Drive.

The apartments are expected to be finished in 18 months and the duplexes, within a year, according to terms of the applications.

RotoRanger was selected first place in the TOP DAWG competition for their innovative new way of bridging the gap to creating an efficient molding machine.

The Louisiana Tech University’s TOP DAWG Idea Pitch and TOP DAWG New Venture Championship, an event each year to encourage students to build innovative products and services that create value in the marketplace, awarded the team a total prize package of $8,000 from Tech’s College of Business. $5,000 to be awarded to first-, second- and third-place teams, and a $1,000 fund from Innovation Enterprise Fund presented to RotoRanger.